Vice President Joe Biden said on Tuesday that the American middle class has been "buried for the last four years," while arguing against Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney's tax policies.

Speaking at a campaign rally in North Carolina, Biden said, "How they can justify, how they can justify raising taxes on the middle class that has been buried the last four years — how in Lord's name can they justify raising their taxes with these tax cuts," according to Reuters.

Seizing upon the statement, Romney's campaign and the Republican National Committee quickly released statements.

"Vice President Biden made a stunning admission today and we couldn’t agree more: the middle class has been ‘buried’ under the last four years of this President’s policies," said the Romney campaign's spokeswoman Amanda Henneberg, according to The Hill blog. "Under President Obama, the middle class has suffered from crushing unemployment, rising prices and falling incomes."

Romney tweeted this:

Agree with @joebiden, the middle class has been buried the last 4 years, which is why we need a change in November #CantAfford4More

Kirsten Kukowski, a spokeswoman for the RNC, said, "We agree, the middle class has been buried the past four years by Obama's failed policies from higher taxes to more debt, which is why he doesn't deserve another term in the White House to make it worse," according to The Hill.

Vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan also said he agreed with Biden's comment, saying, "That means we need to stop digging by electing Mitt Romney the next president of the United States," according to Politico.

Ryan added, "Of course the middle class has been buried. They're being buried by regulations, they're being buried by taxes, they're being buried by borrowing, they're being buried by the Obama administration."

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